What's for dinner?

[piratesmate]

I'm bored. We've had the same things too often & I'm looking for inspiration.

Deb

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

What sorts of foods does your family like? I mean some won't eat casseroles at all, others live on them. Anything they can't eat?

Deb

 

[piratesmate]

We eat pretty much anything, but do tend to reduce the amount of fat in our diets. Like if a recipe calls for heavy cream, I'll just use whole milk (obviously not for whipping.) I'm diabetic, so we don't do things like candied carrots or sweet potatoes.

We had Chicken Divan last night, so my inclination is to NOT make a casserole again tonight...but could be persuaded otherwise. I took the easy way out & tried a recipe that called for cream of chicken soup instead of using a roux...we all agreed it was too heavy that way.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

How about fish as a starting point? Pollock or cod is light and not too fishy if that is an issue with kids. Or we had Mahi Mahi last night. We're also watching lots of things like fats and carb intake so if we're splurging it will be on a higher quality food because portions are smaller.

To keep extra fat, etc. out of the preparation we will brush fish with a tiny bit of olive oil and sprinkle with one of the Mrs. Dash seasonings depending on our mood - more garlic, lemon pepper, etc. Very little sodium in these but add yummy tastes.

With it maybe brown rice? Lower carb content than white rice and more vitamins/minerals. Speaking of sweet potatoes - they are a carb veggie and I was just reading last night that they are a much better choice than other potatoes or rice from a glycemic index standpoint if you're using diet to help keep blood glucose levels a bit more steady. Also couscous is in this category and it is really easy to make, takes flavors from broth and spices easily too.

Green veggie - I love oriental mix with green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, and a little bit of shredded carrot. Or a tossed salad?

Sweet could be fruit, maybe sliced apples with a little cinnamon sprinkled on it? Or some grapefruit and orange segments?

Anything there sound good?

Deb

 

[Spinning]

Can't help you there. I am in the same rut! Tonight we are having BLT's. Must say I got the best tasting tomatoes yesterday! Vine grown cherry looking ones but they are the size of a pool table ball! YUM!

 

[piratesmate]

Actually, we just had fish on Sunday. DH brought me some catfish & I just sprinkled some cajun seasoning on it. Absolutely yummy! I think we'd all eat that again, but can't afford to go get more.

It's funny about the glycemic index . . . . I've read quite a bit about it, but it doesn't seem to affect what I eat & my blood sugar. Carrots are supposed to be high, but my blood sugar never seems to go up when I've been eating them - and I test often because I'm on an insulin pump. Maybe that's why?? We often have baked sweet potatoes for our starch - though DH & the kids put cinnamon/sugar on theirs. I just use cinnamon.

Oh well - I'm off the hook for tonight. DH has a class & leaves in about 20 minutes. He & DD will have the leftovers from last night. DS is teaching TaeKwon-Do & will then eat pizza with the band when he goes to practice. I'm still full from lunch, so I'll probably just skip dinner or make a large salad.

Now . . . . what to make tomorrow?!?!?! Gee, 28 years I was excited about planning meals. Now it's the bane of my existence.

Thanks for the help!

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

The carrot thing - I think it has something to do with the glycemic load of the meal. Also carrots have recently been reclassified quite a bit lower based on new testing and they don't have as many carbs as say potatoes and bread. So even with a slightly higher GI than say grapefruit or apples they won't have as much impact. This all according to the book I am presently working my way through. Have to say I was surprised when I first saw that carrots have as many carbs as they do! Everything else I read has listed them as a virtually free food.

Good luck!

Deb

 

[piratesmate]

I haven't read much about the index lately. I did most of my reading back when I 1st went on the pump - they mentioned it to me then. I have to say I was most impressed with the stats on corn flakes & Milky Way bars - they have the same GI! I was psyched & told the nutritionist that I'd be having Milky Ways for breakfast the rest of the week! (I was kidding, but she wasn't amused. )

I usually eat the baby carrots as a snack & not part of a meal. (Or sometimes when I'm really bad, they ARE my meal!)

I always like to see what happens to "new innovations" after a couple years. Invariably, things change. Kind of like all the stuff that we ate or drank as kids that now is bad for you.

Well, I've derailed my own thread. I guess I should have PM'd instead!

Deb

 

[dearolddave]

Hi Deb,

Here's a dinner for you, since you like chicken. You can find several more like this one on our web site at http://www.newitalianrecipes.com. Ironically, we call the menus we put together, "What's For Dinner?" Just click on that link there and go to the spring and fall sampler links for more.

Substitute Butter Buds for the butter since you are watching fat content. We do it all the time! There is also non-fat half and half out there now as a substitute for whipping or heavy cream.


www.NewItalianRecipes.com
Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:
½ cup feta cheese
4 T grated Parmesan cheese
4 T finely chopped prosciutto (about 2 medium slices)
4 T finely chopped, well-drained sun-dried tomatoes
2 T finely chopped garlic
3 T chopped fresh sage or ½ tsp of dried sage
2 T butter, softened
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 boneless chicken breast halves

Preparation:
Heat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the cheeses, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, sage and butter.

Mix until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slit each chicken breast to make a pocket.

Stuff each breast with filling.

Chill in the freezer for about 5 minutes to let the filling firm up.

Remove the breasts from the freezer and place into a buttered baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Take the breasts from the oven; let them rest for 3 to 5 minutes, tented with foil, then serve immediately.


New Italian Recipes
Ginger Pineapple Rice

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
3 T shallots or onions, minced
1 ½ T fresh ginger, minced (see note at end of recipe)
1 cup jasmine rice (regular white long grain or basmati may be used)
¼ cup pineapple juice (or orange if you don’t have pineapple)
2 cups water


Preparation:
Heat olive oil in a small, non-stick sauce pan over medium heat.

Add shallots and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add rice and toss to coat well with olive oil, about 1 minute.

Add ginger and pineapple (or orange) juice.

After juice is absorbed by the rice, add the water and raise the heat to medium high.

When the liquid reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover tightly.

Let the mixture simmer covered until visible liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and let stand covered until you are ready to serve it.

Note:
Buy a fist-sized root of fresh ginger. Keep it sealed up in a plastic bag in the freezer. Whenever you need a small amount for a recipe, just let the whole root sit on your cutting board for about five minutes, and you can cut off the amount you need in thin slice, peel and all. Then, remove the peel if you want before mincing, (but we usually don’t even do that.)






New Italian Recipes
Green Beans with Cashews

Ingredients:
1 ½ lb. Fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
3 T. butter
½ t. ground black pepper
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup dry roasted cashews

Preparation:
Cook green beans in rapidly boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, and immerse in ice water; then drain again, and set aside.

In medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat.

Add pepper and parsley and stir to blend.

Add reserved beans and cook until heated through. Transfer to serving bowl and top with cashews.


Regards,
Dave

 

[tstobb]

We've got one of the Showtime Rotisserie ovens & it's great!
I take a fresh lime & slice it very thinly & lay the slices in the basket and then lay in lean pork chops and then another layer of limes and then the top of the basket goes on. They cook for just over 1/2 an hour and are fantastic! Last time I did it, I got lucky that fresh raspberries were on sale so I cooked down a pint in a small saucepan to make a sauce to use with the chops - it was easy & only took a total of about 10 minutes of actual cooking with the oven doing the work. We have done the same thing (with the limes) with chicken & fish as well.